Electrical interrupter.



No. 827,782. PATENTED AU 'i90 H. BESSER.

ELEGTRGAL INTBRRUPTER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.22,1905.

ya f N J. C

Wl TIVESSES HERMAN BESSER, F NEW YC'RK, N. Y.

ELECTFlCl-ll. lNTElRRUPTER.

sie.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. '7, i906.

Application filed November 22, 1905. Serial No. 288,533.

New York, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Electrical interrupters, oi which theI following is a specification,

such as will enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains to maire and use the same. T his invention relates to electrolytic interrupters for electrical currents and the method of' operating the same; and the invention cornprises an im roved interrupter vfor electrical. circuits whici includes one or more inductionn coils in said circuits for the purpose of inducing oscillating currents in secondary lcircuits and an improved method of operating such interrupter whereby the potential and irequency of secondary currents are augmented and rendered constantA for long periods of time, a further object being to provide an interruptor which will o crate with a higher degree of e'tiiciency ant which is alike applicable for the use of constant and alternating currents, a further objectbeing to provide an in'terru ter oi the class specified in which the electrones are of the same diametrical dimensions and interchangeable one with the other;

and with these and other objects in view this invention consists of an interruptor constructed and operated as hereinafter de-` scribed and claimed. j

The in terrupter herein described and claimed is anim rovement on that described and claimed in Tnited States application for Letters Patent, Serial No. 279,920, tiled by nie September 25, 1905, and the invention is ullp' disclosed in the following specification, oi' which the accompanying drawings 'form a part, in which the separate parts of my iniprovenient are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views, and in whichn Figure l is a central vertical section of' an interrupter constructed according 'to my invention', Fig. 2, a transverse section on the line Biotlligi.

in the drawings forming part oi this speci r'lcation i have shown an outer casing c, provided witha detachable cover a?, and in the :iottoin ci this casing is placed a support a3 for a I), i :iced centraiy in the casing o, sai-d jar t being composed oi porcelain, glass, oi

other suitable non-conducting' material. The annular space between the outer casing a and the inner jar b is to be filled with water g for the purpose of acting as a sound-niufher against the highitched tones which emanate from the jarb w ien the interrupter is in operation. v

The jar t extends upwardly above the cover a of the outerl jar c and is also provided with a detachable cover b?, having a central opening b3, which serves thepurpose ci admitting one of the electrodes. A supplemental opening adjacent to one edge o the cover b2 serves Jfor the admission of a tubular casing c, composed of porcelain or othersuit# able non-conducting inatdrial and which extends downwardl into the' jar t. The'top portion of this tu e c is internally provided with a screw-thread, into which engages the screw-threaded vertical rod c2, which latter is provided at its upper end with the bindingpost c for the terminal ci oi' the main circuit. The lower end of the adjustable vertical rod c2 is provided with the negative electrode c3, composed of copper or ot er suitable material. This electrode c'd projects a short distance below the insulating-casing c, leaving thereby only a certain predetermined length of the electrode' exposed to the action ofthe surrounding electrolyte h and. is brought intp physical contact with metallic mercury t, placed within the jar b. f

The tip or lower end of the electrode c3 can be of more or less pointed form, of a ilat or conical, concave, or convex shape for reasons hereinafter more fully describe Passing through the openiiny b3 and extending into the jar li is a metal p ug d, to which is secured a porcelain tube d2, which extends kdownwardly to a p osition adjacent to but above the mercury t, and the plug d is provided at the top thereof with a capdvhich in turn is provided with an outer angular groove dfl atvthe top thereof, and rotatablyT mounted on the cap Il is a disk (Z5, through which passes a screw d, which operates in the groove di, and by means oi this construction it will be seen that the disk d5 may be rotated upon the cap ds without changing the relative positions thereof. The plug (Z is provided with a central bore (Z7, in which is mounted a vertically-movable rod e, preferably composed of copper and the top of which is preferably composed of iron or steel and provided with a screw-thread, as shown at e2, and the screw-thread e2 engages a simi- ,lar screw-thread c vin the rotatable disk d5,

and secured to the bottom of the rod c is a platinum tip el, either by screwing said tip into the rod e, by soldering thereto, or in any other` suitable manner. rihis tip et projects a `predetermined distance below the porcelain tube d2, and this distance is capable oi gases are kept reta-ine beiner Varied by the rotation of the disk d5, as will Je readily seen. .Mounted on the top of the rod c is a binding-post e for the terminal c" of the main circuit.

The above-described insulating-tubes c and with their attached electrodes c3 and e?, their respective regulating mechanism, Vertr cal adjustment, and their binding-posts c4 and e5, are made of like diametrical dimensions, so as to permit them to be interchangeable by placing the positive electrode in the position ol the'negativeelectrode, and vice `tersa, and it is obvious that the receiving opening in the cover b of the jar l must cor respond in dimension therewith. Secured to the plug d above the cover b2 is a metal tubej", which is bent downwardly and passes through the supplemental opening;- b4 in the cover b2, the object of the Vent-tube?" being to provide a by-pass for such portion of the electrolyte as has n tendency to creep upwardly Within the porcelain tube :i2 whenever the electrolyte becomes strongly agitated and heated from the action ofthe interrupter. Thefopcning if* is made ot slightly larger diameter than the diameter of the venttube which enters the same and acts in this capacity es a vent-opening to facilitate the escapo of hydrogen, oxygen, and other Leases which are collecting within the jar' l) during the operation of my interru ter, and which being oi a higher iniiammab e and explosive nature might under certain circumstances tend to destroy the .a paratus in case such dpwithin the jar.

The electrolyte la. inthe jar is composed of an approximately onetoeight proportioned solution of sulfuric acid and Water, and placed in the bottom or" the i), heretofore dcscribed, is a quantity ciE metallic mercury i, wl ich latter is in constant physical contact 'with the copper electrode, as hereinbclore described.

it will be understood also that the conductors c and e vt'orm part of a circuit in which is included any source ot electrical supply, rheo* stats, switches, and induction-coils in the usual manner, such features not being shown in the drawings as they form no part of my invention. A

The operationy of this apparatus is identical tc' that ol the apparatus described and claimed in United States application for lietters Patent Serial No. 279,920, filed by me 'Shptember 25, 1905.

ln the production oi oscillating constant currents as Well as oscillating altern atin ,9: currents of high frequency and great tension it becomes at times imperative` to regulate the scarce pitch of the tones or sound-irreves, Hertzien and other Wares produced by the interrupter in order to adapt the same to the different requirements of the work to which the interrupters are applied. Such minute regulations cannot be effected by other interrupters as accurately nor over such a large range ot tone-scales as my im. )roved interruptor 1n its op )lication to all classes of Work is dcsigned for. A l accomplish this by the application and use of iinely-founed gradually increasing or decreasing pointed negative electrodes which are ot :'imilar cross-sectional? measurement as tliefpositive electrodes.

The negative electrode oi the various forms at its ternnnating-point as described above when inserted into and making actual contact with the mercury in the bottom of thc jar will enable the operator to accu rately adjust the interruptor to Whatever requircments present themselves.

By means of such synchronous adjustment oi the positive and negative electrodes lower Hertzien waves are obtainable than by other inter'ru ters now in use and which can bel gra-dna ly advanced to the highest oscillating Waves. A

In the use of this type of interrupter as especially applied for the conversion of alter hating currents into direct currents it is b@- lieved that the-positive electrode receives and transmits but one of the phases, while the other phase being suppressed as such is not, however, destroyed. Usually in the applieation ol"` .interrupters used for alternatmg current the suppressed hase is destroyed by conversion into heat an is also very destruel tire to the platinum electrode. my i nterrupter the heat incidental to the sup.` lpression of one of the phases ofthe alternatmg current aplies itself mechanically andr electrochemica y to the conversion of the metallic mercury into a subsuliate of mer-- cury, which conversion in the manner as described in m application for Lettere Patent tiled September 25, 1905, becomes-an active However, in

agent in the production in the oscillationoil the produced current, which is demonstrated by the vfact that my interrupter will, acting as a rectifier, prevent arcing at the electrodes, will partially absorb the heat, and will produce a very materially larger output in the direct current of the secondary circuit induced by an alternating current over that of other interrupters, nor be as destructive to the platinum electrodes.

It is obvious that a direct current obtained by means of my interruptor from an alternating current can be of any potentiality, high or low, according` to the number of turns or windings in the secondary circuit and arielativ'e number of turns in the windings of' the primary circuit as well as by a choice of wires or dillerent diameters, as is Well known tothe art.

Having fully described my invention, What claim as new, and desire to secure 4by Letters Patent, is-

l. In an electro'lytic interrupter adapted to be placed in .a circuit co taining a source of electrical energy and induction coil or coils, a positive and a negative electrode or' like cross-sectional area, au electrolyte and metallic mercury which latter is .held in constant physical contact with one of the elec trodes, substantially as shown and described.

2. In an electrolytic interrupter adapted to be placed in a circuitI containing a source of electrical energy a positive and a negative electrode of like cross-sectional area, and an electrolyte and metallic mercury, said electrodes being adjustable in order to determine 4the extent of the immersion of the positive f electrodel into the electroyte and the extent of thewimruersion of the negative electrode into the metallic mercury, substantially as shown and described.y

I 3. fin an electrolytic interruptor', insulated positive and negative electrodes with terini nal bare points respectively immersed into an. electrolyte and into metallic mercury, said electrodes being of similar cross-sectional arca andfeorresponding to receiving-apertures in the cover of the electrolytic cell and 'interchangeable therewith, substantially as `.shown and described.

f il. Iman electrolytic interrupter, a cell containing an electrolyte, metallic mercury and vertically-adjustable electrodes provided with terminals of a gradual increasing ordecreas ingr eontact-surface, substantially as shown and described.

5. In an electrolytio interruptcr of the class described, a cell provided with a cover, tubular insulating-casings suspended therein, and electrodes suspended in said casings and depending therefrom, said electrodes being vertically adjustable in said cells, an electrolyte and metallic mercury, substantially shown and described. f

6. ln an electrolytic ntcrrupter of the class described, vertically-adjustable elec? trodes provided with attacliable and detachable terminals of' conical or other suitable shape, an electrolyte and metallic mercury whereby the oscillations to be obtained by means of such interrupter can be mechanically adjusted to any requisite pitch within the range of the apparatus, substantially as shown and described.

In testin'iony that l claim the fou l, iing as my invention I have signed my name, ln presence of the subscribing witnesses, this 20th day of November, 1905.

HERMAN BESSER. Witnesses t F. A. STEWART, C1 E. MULREANY 

